As I lie in savasana, or corpse pose, in my thrice-weekly yoga class, I feel completely at ease.
I exhale, and all “drama” — as termed by the eccentric and yet wonderfully bohemian and pig-tailed Eliza, the instructor — has been successfully abandoned at the door, away from the solace of my floral yoga mat.
This hour-long haven is a time for me and only me, and I always leave feeling light-hearted and rejuvenated.
Enter life as a college student, where I have neither the time nor the money to keep up with my yoga practice.
In fact, as we embark on a new semester crammed full of new classes, new (expensive) books, new roommates and 200-degrees weather, I am sure just about everyone is down for some stress relief.
What I found this time last year to solve that very problem proved to be much more than a suitable yoga imposter. The Mindfulness Meditation Group that meets at the Student Recreation Complex at ASU’s Tempe campus is not only a good stress reliever, but also a great introduction into the life philosophy of mindfulness.
Jerry Braza defines mindfulness in his book, “Moment by Moment: The Art and Practice of Mindfulness,” simply as “a natural state of living moment by moment … a technique that teaches alertness … becoming fully aware of each moment and of your activity in that moment.”
What could be a better antidote to the “hurry sickness” we all seem to experience at the start of each new semester than learning, or relearning, to appreciate simplicity and take each hurdle one at a time?
Mindfulness is not some new, fancy meditation invented in LA, and no, you don’t have to wear a little red string around your wrist or get branded with a hot iron to participate. Mindfulness is an Asian meditation technique originating in India.
The Japanese have applied this kind of Zen awareness to teamaking for hundreds of years, showing that mindfulness is meant to be applied to everyday activities — whether that activity be performing a traditional tea ceremony or trying to remember where you dropped your Sun Card.
“ASU students [who practice mindfulness] may experience an increase in ability to effectively focus and concentrate in academic work, as well as improved mood and reduced anxiety,” said Dr. Daniel Schulte, assistant and training director for Counseling and Consultation at ASU and this year’s director of the mindfulness program, in an e-mail.
“There has been some research to suggest that mindfulness practice can also be very beneficial for people who are facing significant issues such as clinical depression or chronic pain.”
What’s more, it is convenient — held in the SRC, mindfulness is accessible to every ASU student.
Using the techniques I have learned from mindfulness, I think I might just avoid the fall unwelcome stress. So, while my yoga mat will be set in storage, my sanity, thankfully, is not.
Reach Kristen at kckelle2@asu.edu.
